Will your god set you free
Today is a day about everything and nothing. Coincidentally, it’s national nothing day too, which, as it’s name implies actually involves no celebration. But, this isn’t a Seinfeld episode. So, today is actually about everything. It’s national religious freedom day. This term is one which the founders of the US took seriously. But, few people know what it actually means. Most of the European settlers of what is now the USA were Christians. And, as we know, Christians aren’t very Christlike. Not only did they persecute and subjugate the indigenous people of the land and the slaves they imported, they persecuted and subjugated people who’s view of Christianity differed from their own. Rhode Island was created by a group of puritanical people to escape religious persecution. Despite the promises of the new world, the question: “Will your god set you free” persists.
The architects of our Constitution didn’t get it right in the first document. So, they had to draft amendments. They dubbed the first 10 “the bill of rights”. And, the first amendment addresses the grievance of religious persecution and free speech. Of course, no one ever fully believed that. To this day, there are restrictions put on free speech. And, the ruling class is predominantly Christian, with many being fundamentalist. These legislators try to abridge the religious and speech freedom of people who don’t think like they do. Some of it comes from long-held religious values. But, most of it comes from a desire to maintain power by appeasing constituents with religious and free thought intolerance.
Here is the text of the first Amendment:
Table of Contents
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The founding fathers asked will your god set you free?
If you know anything about British and American history, you probably remember King George of England ruled by wielding the King James Bible. In the 1770’s, British citizens living in America had enough of this. In addition to taxation issues, there was a mistrust of religion and politics intermingling. We see the downside to a church run society today in Muslim countries where plurality is unacceptable, and religious extremists rule the countries with no individual rights. The founding fathers believed your relationship with your god is personal to each person, and it’s not up to the government to tell you who to pray to or how. A rigid religious structure stifles creativity and exploration of concepts outside dogma.
The Christian religion, as we know it, developed over centuries. We recently looked at some of the history in our New year post. The council of Nicaea met in 325 AD to decide what would be included in the Christian canon. While there are a wide variety of texts and concepts, the main purpose of the council was to set up a control structure to dictate how to worship god. It lead to centuries of war and political and land disputes between opposing views of different religions and infighting within the Christian ranks themselves. Anyone who didn’t subscribe to the Christian god, and the dogma sanctioned by Constantine, was a heretic. The inquisition was an extreme example of how this dogma was mercilessly deployed against any people of differing backgrounds.
Not Just an American Problem
While not understanding or being accepting of a god that isn’t your own may be understandable, the American settlers and the architects of our constitution believed in the same god as their British rulers. If a difference between how you worship can cause that kind of strife, what happens if the question is “who” you worship? The indigenous people of the entire western hemisphere were deemed “savages”. They found themselves persecuted to the point of extinction at the hand of “God Fearing Christians” ever since Columbus “discovered” the “New World”. While this “discovery” created enormous wealth and opportunity, it also spread fear and intolerance.
But, that intolerance was already in the rest of the world. And, it still is. Muslims and Christians hate each other. And, both hate the Jews, despite all worshiping the same God. Never mind Buddhists and Eastern religions, or the religions of the aforementioned indigenous tribes of the Americas or Australia. Many modern politicians only “accept” others since they have to, because it’s written in the constitution. Still, many do so begrudgingly. Plus, we can’t forget the current conflict in Israel. It’s Muslims and Jews both vowing to eradicate the other. For what? Because you only accept one religious view. Again, it’s the same god.
What about Cults? Will your god set you free?
Cult is a tricky word. Technically, all organized religions are cults. And, the word usually applies to a group that the ruling class doesn’t understand what the group in question believes in. Any group that claims superiority in their worship, to the exclusion of any variants fits under this banner. A more narrow definition of the term, though, is useful to spot dangerous “cults”. The tend commandments warn against false idols. So, any group that gives more power to a single person, especially a living one, poses a clear and present danger to itself and others. many are scams. Most people would agree that there are many scam “religions” out there. If they tell you to only believe the words of one person, exclude all others, and ask you for money to fund their opulent lifestyle: warning.
This is the downside of freedom of religion: those who prey upon peoples’ need to belong to something bigger than themselves. But religious intolerance creates cognitive dissonance. The rigidity of major religions creates a void for those who don’t find solace in the empty words and dogma. This is especially prevalent among teenagers, going through physiological and psychological changes. They need to understand what and why they are undergoing these transformations. This makes them susceptible to either fully immerse themselves in their current religion or seek one that allows them to explore their feelings. The Judeo-Christian, and Muslim religions, deny them the exploration of matters of the flesh. So, any alternative is enticing.
It’s not just kids
But, kids aren’t the only ones susceptible to scam religions. If you look up the word cult in the dictionary, there are multiple definitions. Most people focus on the derogatory one: a group of people, following a false idol. Another (from Merriam Webster) is: “great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work“. That describes every religion. Of course, adherents to a religion are quick to claim someone else is in a cult, but not accept that they are in one themselves. The test of a cult, though, is in whether or not it intentionally causes harm. Unfortunately, that also describes every major religion (remember all the wars and extermination of people outside the religion). Will your god set you free is not a question that any religion can answer in the affirmative by nature of religion itself. They all demand fealty to a superior being.
Will your god set you free for the right sacrifice?
People make sacrifices to whatever religion they subscribe to. In biblical stories that involved killing livestock and/or children. Today, that type of sacrifice is looked upon as “satanic” or evil. But, it was okay for Moses, Abraham, and multiple generations of Jews, Christians, and Muslims? But, religions still demand sacrifice of another type: psychological. To adhere to any religion, one must give oneself to the prevailing concepts of the dogma. Devout Christians have a problem with sex. Jews and Muslims restrict their diet to conform with fears from a bygone era. And, most religions require some sort of pilgrimage and/or eschewing of material and physical pleasures on some level. We only recognize sacrifices as part of a cult when it’s in a context we don’t understand or comes off as blatantly predatory.
It’s the charismatic leader syndrome that we should be wary of. Jim Jones, David koresh, and Charles Manson are extreme examples. But, some leaders are benign, and actually encourage free thought. And, it’s not necessarily the leader who is the problem. In some cases, it’s the people. Even in the Christian religion, the problem usually lies in interpretation. Monty Python Lampooned this concept in the Life of Brian with their follow the Gord scene. Jesus actually questioned organized religion, and asked that his followers pray to god in their own way. Unfortunately, his followers got hung up on his actions over the message. In Jesus Christ Superstar, Judas, correctly, states “You’ve begun to matter more than the things you say.”
The establishment of Religion
If you look back at the text of the first Amendment, It lifts restrictions on “the establishment” of a religion. The impetus for this was to extract colonists from the rule of the Church of England. But, with it comes that pesky term: cult. Since anyone can establish a religion, who and what it’s dedicated to, doesn’t matter. I could start a religion dedicated to soy beans. And, why not? They are nutritious, versatile, and sustainable. While the concept of god nourishes the soul, soybeans, demonstrably and literally, can nourish all living creatures. This religion may be labeled a cult. But, it’s my right as a US citizen to worship the soy bean in all its glory. This may sound silly. Yet, it’s based on universal truths. If there’s no harm, no foul, then, it should be acceptable.
Even if the church of Soy doesn’t and won’t exist, the right of its existence should be protected. This goes for all concepts of religion. For, we can learn different perspectives from different religions and thoughts. That’s the point of the first amendment. Darwin posited the theory of evolution. Religious people fought it. They treated Darwinism as a religious cult. But, his description of adaptation and survival of the fittest is baked into the first amendment. By allowing a plurality of religion and thought, countries like ours are equipped to outlive theocratic governments. Remember, from history, Egyptian, Roman, Greek, and Norse religions and rule all failed in the face of new religions. By having access to any and all religions, we are poised to adapt to any forthcoming changes. having options allows more answers to the question: Will your god set you free.
What does this have to do with food?
Good question. And, of course, the answer is everything. We are a food blog after all. And, free thought, religion, spirituality, and physiology are all part of the human experience. We are talking nourishment of mind, body, and soul. Every religion has some kind of food involved in whatever the celebration or observance is. Even if you espouse no religion, you still have to eat. Proper nutrition helps us connect better to all aspects of our being and the world and universe beyond. So, yes, food is a religion in and of itself. In fact, food in this country and others has it’s own religious status. People make pilgrimages to places like White Castle burgers, even Denny’s and other fast food chains.
And, just like our plurality of religions, we have a plurality of foods. If you like junk food, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting an establishment around here. And, if you are a “foodie”, gourmet, or adventurous eater, there are plenty of options. Again, its Darwinism at it’s finest. Remember, though, that his theory of adaptation doesn’t mean the “best” will survive. It means that the characteristics best suited to that time and place will survive. So, despite being totally unhealthy, McDonald’s has outlasted countless superior restaurants. Why? Location, cost, and adaptability. You can now get salads, smoothies, and other more “healthy” options, thus keeping them relevant. But, there’s still a rabid base that follow them religiously.
So, will your god set you free? Maybe not. But, we do have freedom of choice.
Will your god set you free to dine tonight
Devo’s Chorus in that song above posits: “Freedom of choice is what you got. Freedom from choice is what you want.” This is true of religions too. In the land of the free, we can pick and choose religions, and aspects of certain religions. But, people prefer the simplicity of one religion with its neat packaging. So, they take the good with the bad, because they want to simplify things. Choices overwhelm people. Like the dog choosing between bones and picking the wrong one, we fear making a wrong choice. So, better to stay with what you know, even if it makes you just like everyone else.
The same holds true for food. Americans default to our carb heavy, meat laden, Sugar, salt and fat soaked diet, because it’s what we know. We call it “comfort food”, even though it clogs arteries, increases blood pressure, and tends to have a host of drawbacks to our physical, mental, and spiritual well being. But, in “the land of the free” we have plenty of options. If you live anywhere near a major city, you probably have access to cuisines from all around the world. Within a couple miles of where I am writing at this moment, we have Thai, Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Greek, Middle Eastern, Portuguese, French, Italian, and more in addition to the “American” pizza, burger, and meat and potatoes options.
Plus, we have supermarkets that source food from around the world. So, why not indulge in your freedom of religion and food. Start her with these international recipes that would make a hit at any religious observance, maybe even garner a cult following themselves.
Meyer Lemon Edamame Hummus
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Shelled cooked edamame
- 4 Cloves Fresh garlic
- 2 Cups Raw fresh Spinach
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
- 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- 1/2 Cup Meyer Lemon Juice (preferably, Fresh Squeezed)
- 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- 2 Tbsp Tahini Paste
- 1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pulse garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add Spinach and Herbs, pulse until well chopped.
- Add in the Edamame, and puree until fine.
- Add the tahini and Lemon juice. Continue running the processor until smooth, no lumps. Scrape down sides and continue processing. Add in the spices at this time.
- While the machine is running, drizzle in the oil until it is well incorporated. If it separates, add some more beans. Taste the hummus, and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Refrigerate and serve cold with pita and vegetables. You can drizzle a little olive oil and/or lemon for service, even garnish with fresh chopped herbs and, or chili flakes.
Olive Ladder Bread
Ingredients
- 7 cups bread flour
- 3 cups warm water
- 1 Tbsp Dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt kosher
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 2 cups chopped olives without pits kalamata or a mix of olives
- 1 tsp cracked black peppercorns
- Extra oil for coating and baking the bread
Instructions
- Mix sugar, yeast and water in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Allow to bloom until it becomes a little foamy.
- Add 1/3 of the flour and beat for about a minute until it is smooth. Cover with plastic and let sit for about 30 minutes to an hour.
- When the starter is a bit spongy, add the rest of the ingredients, and mix well with the machine. Then pop out onto a floured surface and knead by hand until the dough (with the exception of the olives) is smooth.
- coat the dough with oil and return to a mixing bowl. Allow to rise for 2 to 3 hours. It should double in volume
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Oil a couple sheet pans.
- Cut the dough into 4 portions. Knead each into a ball. Then flatten them to about 3/4 inch thick rectangles or ovals. Place them onto oiled sheet pans, cover with a damp cloth or plastic and let rise about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Before putting into the oven, slit the bread loaves multiple times to mimic a ladder. Cut through the dough, about an inch or 2 between each slit. Pull the slits to widen the gaps if desired. Brush the tops of the bread with oil. Then pop in the oven.
- After 10 to 12 minutes, check the bread. Turn the loaves and switch pans from lower racks if necessary so they all cook evenly. Put back in for another 10 to 12 minutes until they achieve a nice golden brown.